Land of Confusion
by Reppa
Summary: The campaign against Chaos continues, but our heroes will have to conquer the chaos in their own lives before they can make a difference. Yaoi. Also on updates may be slower. Bah, sorry for the slow update. Work is slaying me.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy : Unlimited or the characters in it. There may be a few OCs I haul off and throw in there, but not for a while.

Warnings : Yaoi which means male/male. Come on, what else do I write? Expect violence, mild child abuse/neglect, language, sexual situations, and anything else especially good. You don't like it, don't read.

Land Of Confusion

Chapter 1 : Stranded

by Reppa

As the darkness settled around him like a protective cloak, his partially closed eyes flickered briefly when a voice penetrated the silence. It was a soft, somewhat weakened voice, but one he recognized all too well. Maybe too well for his own comfort. The gentle sigh filled him with a foreign warmth, a warmth he didn't remember save for a shrouded sliver of memory bound in the back of his mind. Whatever it was, he had felt it before and it made his chest ache. Black Wind...Kaze...

White Cloud...Makenshi...The words didn't pass his lips, but he reasoned the other realized...felt them to some extent as they both fell back into the dark. Again he found himself descending into a sound slumber, much like what had him buried away for the past twelve years. Last time, he had fallen with panic, struggling to beat back the sleep in order to keep fighting, yet this time he embraced it with slight relish. It was release, a time of peace he could finally relax into after so long, even if he was certain it would not last. And it didn't last, not even for what felt like a few minor minutes as his back came into harsh contact with a hard surface, reality slamming him back to life.

A breath of air was knocked from him momentarily, a slight spray of rain on his being, sprawled on his back with his bright blue eyes staring blankly into the sky. The fall left him slightly dazed. It was still day, the sky was riddled with a multitude of fluffy, white clouds and Kaze was aware that what he was laying on rocked and dipped. His right leg was knee deep in warm sea water and he could feel the heat of the object he laid on beating on his back. The man had landed on a long slab of metal, which explained why it felt so hot, it had soaked up hours of pounding sun rays. It's coloring was familiar and it was part of the remains of the submarine so it seemed. Remains from something else shared the water's surface with Jane's corpse, dark and twisted. He deduced they were leftovers of Gaudium.

Slowly, the long haired man propped himself up on his elbows, he blinked several times, adjusting before glancing around the barren surroundings. What he looked for was some sign of white...wondering if White Cloud had fallen to the sea with him. There was no one as far as he could see, just himself, beached on the slab of Jane's metal. Alone.

His expectations to catch sight of Makenshi died, Kaze knew he wouldn't luck out as to find his enemy there...Or whatever Makenshi truly was to him...His gaze made one more sweep, looking for the humans this time, in case he missed them on the first glance. They were no where to be seen either, he assumed on the chance of hope that they were all right.

All worries aside, it was time to focus on himelf...He sat up fully, pulling his leg out of the water and giving it a shake. Where he would eventually end up, that concern simply rolled off his back. More than likely, the metal was bound to float somewhere. He didn't care where, as long as no danger waited to nip at his heels all over again. From there, Kaze would search for Makenshi..."Follow the white rabbit..."

It had been several days...and even still, his eyes were heavy with wearing fatigue. The battle against the Count had drained a great deal from him. Moaning, Makenshi rolled onto his side, feeling the sinews of woven grass beneath him and wincing for a moment as the battle wound ached from his movement. Clux had found and delivered him to a small island a ways from the remains of the submarine and Gaudium to tend to his wounds. Though it had been quite the strain on the diminutive puppet to carry his bulk there, however lightweight he was, she had managed to locate a small village in the midst of the island's jungle vegetation. There they had stayed for the next few days, resting and recuperating.

The inhabitants of the village proved to be friendly and very helpful despite the lack of communication. Lion-like humanoids with brilliant colored fur, squeaked at him here and there. Maybe they were asking him a question, telling him to do something, unfortunately, he couldn't understand. They couldn't speak the common tongue. Luckily, there were a few beings in the village that he could speak to and who in turn, understood their village companions. They had waxy light ochre skin, strange faces, and long, large hands. They referred to themselves as Shumi, and the brightly colored creatures as Moombas.

Not opting to remain bedridden all through the day, the etude carefully removed himself from the cushioned grass mat on the floor to groggily step to the abode doorway. Moombas pranced around in their chores and Makenshi stood in the doorway, watching the long fringed palms sway in the pleasant breeze. The air was cooler than he thought it would have been as the area _seemed _tropical in nature, he wasn't sure how the climate was year round.

"Kukuruyu..."

His light green eyes shifted from the calm scenery to look up on the fairy puppet joining him. Her wide, gold eyes looked mildly concerned, but she seemed to figure he was fine on his own, floating down to hover at his side. "Hello, Clux." Makenshi greeted her, his soft voice somewhat tired. Maybe dragging himself out of the bed hadn't been the best of ideas, but his body was steadily growing sore from laying about like that. "Do you know anything about the woman and the children? Are they all right?"

"Ku-kukuruyu." Waving her small hand in a wide circle, the petite marionette pointed towards the sky while with her other hand, palm smoothed, she moved it as if something were flying. Clux more or less explained to him that the organization the woman and children had traveled with this entire time rescued them via an airship. "Kuruyu."

"My thanks...and the Black Wind?"

That was where she faltered briefly and shook her head. Kaze proved to be a difficult man to track down half the time, his means of transport across Wonderland being quite the enigma. In the time she had to follow on Oscar's behalf, she had required the humans to locate him several times. Kumo just sighed, lightly chuckling as he shook his head with her. He wasn't surprised, and he would be even less so if the gunner turned up out of the blue. And with his gun aimed at his temple most likely. "I guess we'll have to look forward to the reunion...When I'm better." After the slight pause, he continued with a faint smile, getting a slight glare from the puppet. It would be highly unlikely for her to let him venture off without healing up to perfection.

_Oniichan, oniichan...!_

_Someone, shut her up..._

He stirred, when did he ever want his sister to shut up?

_Oniichan...!_

_Shut up, go away._

_But, oniichan..._

The little voice whined in protest and the feeling that rocked his body, like he had reached out and shoved another away from him woke the man from his sleep. Kaze stirred shakily, opening one eye as he huffed with slight confusion. Had that been Aura? Maybe, when she was younger...for a moment, she had sounded pitiful and whiney and whoever addressed her back had a surprisingly decent deal of malice in his voice. Spite, anger...Kaze told himself it was anyone but him, never had he felt that way towards his sister, he had loved her. He assured himself, convinced himself they must have had another sibling that he couldn't remember and left it at that.

He assumed whatever voices had vocalized themselves in his head were just the result of his stranded state. Curled up on his side, the summoner lifted his head a little for a quick scanning. There was no land, there were no boats, no signs of civilization and he wondered how long he would end up floating there on the sea. Kaze didn't have eternity at his disposal and he hated the ocean to begin with.

Careful as he moved, the gunner sat himself up and pulled back his long, dark cloak to feel at his belt. The belt that had notched all the soil bullets he'd collected after so long...all his summoning bullets were gone, used as fodder for Chaos. The thought made him sick. It would be a while before he had any further chances to use the Magun. A gun was useless without the ammo. Speaking of which...His gloved hand slid over his torso to finger the pockets of his vest, pulling out a black metal bullet from the right to load into his gun. He sat his secondary gun in his lap, flipping open the latch to the emergency cylinder to load the small flare bullet in. Though the gun seemed to other to have limitless ammo, it was running short on the pellet bullets now...and he had no more to reload and had no where else to secure a new supply. His arsenal was running painfully short, heavens forbid he run into any trouble.

With a weary sigh, the Black Wind aimed towards the sky and let out a shot. The bullet flew through the air with a sharp whistle, eventually exploding into a surprisingly large ball of fire and lightning, resounding with a roar and crackling violently. Kaze hoped he hadn't just wasted his black bullet...one of his specialty ammo infused with black magic. Prior to Windaria's destruction, he had only managed a handful of them before rushing to encounter Chaos. A few flare, a few thundaga...but nothing extraordinary.

The flare of energy lasted high in the sky for mere moments before the fiery glow and smoke eventually died down, the blitz of sound dulling to a broken howl. Soon there was nothing but silence save the churn of the water around him.

_You're so stupid, you're stupid..._

Kaze abruptly jerked his head around in mild alarm, as if expecting the person insulting his intelligence to be just behind him, even though it felt like they were insulting someone else. But he was alone...Wherever the voice had come from...It had to be in his head, like from before, and strangely the voice was familiar. "I'm going crazy..." He mumbled, blaming it on the sun that was slowly fading into the horizon and the sickening motions of the water. He was hearing voices and now he was wasting his diminishing ammo, all he needed now were sharks intent on eating him.

Soon, he laid himself back down on the warm metal, resting his cheek lazily on his free hand, bright blue eyes half closed. He fidgeted briefly, a low humming in his ear. The long haired man ignored it, it was just more mind tricks. Slowly, he dozed off, ignoring the constant low hum in his ear, however irritating it was.

Kaze continued his small catnap, until the hum started to grow just a little louder. He calmly opened his eyes, not moving as he listened. As the sound grew louder, as it grew closer, the air started to stir. Now he lifted his head, the shift of the air growing faster, flicking his long, crimson-brown hair wildly. The summoner looked from side to side before turning his attention upwards, brows arching up in surprise.

End of chapter 1

If you've played Final Fantasy VIII, then you'll know what the Moomba and Shumi are.

And one more note, if anyone noticed, introducing black magic and blue magic in the form of modified bullets. Figured that would make it interesting. Don't know about white magic, though it would be ironic if you needed to be shot to be healed. Hehe...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy : Unlimited or the characters in it. There may be a few OCs I haul off and throw in there, but not for a while.

Warnings : Yaoi which means male/male. Come on, what else do I write? Expect violence, mild child abuse/neglect, language, sexual situations, and anything else especially good. Not for the children. You don't like it, don't read.

Notes : Took me a while to do this one...this chapter sucked...But it will get better, I'm working on it. Bah. Oo

Land Of Confusion

Chapter 2 : Lucky

by Reppa

According to the group, Kaze was a lucky man that his flare had been noticed. The man of the Black Wind hardly considered himself lucky, far from it. He gave them a mildly disdainful look which went mostly unnoticed. The true focal point, despite the rescue of their brooding 'companion', was how Lisa and the others were to return to the Outer World...or Earth, whatever they wanted to refer it to. It hardly mattered to him, he knew White Cloud wouldn't be there, so he hardly cared on going. Even if it could prove to be an intriguing experience.

"Hey, mister, do you know where Makenshi-kun is?" The small, red haired human girl crouched next to him, her head tilted to one side as she looked at him. She was the cute and noisy one, he remembered that. Ai.

"No..."

She threw him what looked like an angry pout, as if he had done something wrong. In return to her glare, he stared blankly at her, maybe he missed something, "What..."

"Nothing...You'd just think the person obsessed with him would know where Makenshi-kun is, that's all." Her voice began sounded rather shrewd, a peculiar look on her young face.

Kaze didn't like what she seemed ready to imply, his brows slowly rose.

"Grown up love storms are all weird. I mean, you follow him everywhere, think of no one but him, kinda sounds to me like you're all lovesick and to think you don't even know where he is. You're as bad as Lisa."

Lovesick? Who said he was lovesick! With a grunt and his narrow eyes wide, Kaze cut off any further comments as he rose to his feet and hurriedly stalked away down a corridor, ignoring her outburst on how she knew all and that he couldn't hide the truth from her _women's _intuition. It was an omen for ill things to come, he prayed it didn't mean she was going to bug him with that nonsense. The man glared over his shoulder, whether or not she could see him do it, frowning in irritation. He couldn't for the life of him center just where she would get such an idea as he located and took over what looked like a vacant room.

It was empty, virtually no decoration. The bed lacked blankets and pillows, no rugs, wall hangings, nothing. If it belonged to no one, Kaze didn't see the harm in making it his own as he sat himself on the edge of the bed. The mattress beneath him took his mind off the girl's insinuations and he shifted. It had been...a long time since he could recall being in a comfortable bed. At least when he hadn't been comatose due to a battle.

Real sleep, a pleasant idea as he moved to lay on his side, using his good arm as a pillow. He felt like he needed to sleep, but his eyes just wouldn't close. Instead his brows furrowed, as if something troubled him. The dreary gloom of the air ship dormitory made him feel strangely nostalgic. It made him feel mildly depressed too, but he didn't understand why. Later, he knew he had to do something about the gloom.

"Kaze?"

The sweet voice shook him out of his dreary daydream, his blue eyes blinking rapidly as they focused on Lisa, who stood in the doorway of the room. For a second, she eyed the room with a little scrutiny, not really stepping in fully, "I guess you found yourself a new nest. Was Ai bothering you?"

"Yes." His bluntness made her laugh lightly. Kaze didn't understand how that was amusing.

"Sorry, she kept ranting about you and the others. We just didn't think you had...survived. But then again, you did make it through that battle with Makenshi before, so I guess I can't be so surprised." It took the summoner a moment to realize what she was referring to. When he had first reached Chaos, when Makenshi destroyed both him and Chaos for that brief moment in time. He remember now, the battle against Chaos, and how Makenshi had ultimately not been responsible for Windaria and Aura's death. But it was hard, remembering things _before _that. Things about home, family...And even though he remembered the battle, how the White Cloud wasn't to blame, why did he still have the incredible drive to track the swordsman down?

"What about Moogle? He wasn't with you?" The Moogle, no...Kaze felt surprised he had pondered Makenshi's state well before he even considered anything concerning the moogle. He frowned at himself, maybe he was truly a little obsessed with the swordsman, but that hardly meant he was lovesick. The man's unwavering silence made Lisa look on with mild concern, "Kaze?"

He blinked himself out of his thoughts, staring at the human woman who stared back with a mild blush on her cheeks. It was odd to her, how he seemed to space out like that and she wondered just what he had been thinking about. But it was pointless to ask, more than likely, she would not get an answer. Talk about Moogle and Makenshi would probably have to wait. With a brisk sigh, she waved a hand to dismiss the matter, smiling warmly, "Just don't worry about what Ai says. She's just a little girl, she's got a big imagination so it shouldn't bother you."

If Kaze understood it the way it seemed Lisa was saying it, was the little girl running around telling everyone that he had feelings for Makenshi? "She thinks I like White Cloud."

"Well..." Lisa chuckled nervously, waving her hands a little. The human woman's fake laugh when she was nervous or unsteady betrayed the truth sometimes. So Ai had been running around babbling like that. Internally, the Black Wind fumed about the ranting of a pint sized brat who had no place spouting of what she didn't know. "She was...going on about something like that. But we know that's far from it."

"Far from it?" Of course it was.

Wonderland never ceased to amaze her, surprises abounded. This had to be the most she'd actually sat there, more or less, talking with Kaze. Even if his sentences mostly consisted of one or two words. But it felt like she was on the spot, him drilling her for what her opinions or what the others thought. Something she thought didn't apply to him, but since it was about Makenshi, of course Kaze was all ears. She had to remind herself what the gunner's true train of thought focused on. Ai was probably on to something, but Lisa didn't want to admit it.

"Um, well, I know beforehand you must have hated him. For whatever reason, I don't know...But after fighting the Count, I guess the two of you are on better grounds, but not to _that _point. I mean, it would be strange for you to hate him one instance and then turn around and feel _that _way. Right?"

It was funny, the way she emphasized on the word _that_. But it made sense, despite how it made Kaze wonder if he had hated Makenshi or actually hadn't. It was too confusing for him to worry about, rolling over lazily on his other side, his back to her while he adjusted the Magun in his new position.

"Um, right, Kaze?"

He blinked, glancing back over his shoulder at the woman. She wanted an answer? Not answering would probably give her the wrong idea as he turned away once more. "Right..."

"Did he confess!"

Lisa winced, settling the little girl with a weary smile. Why Ai was so insistent on such a thing was beyond her. "Now, Ai...he doesn't feel that way."

"Yep, give him one ticket for the river Denial, Lisa."

Sometimes Ai was profoundly annoying, but Lisa could bear it as she turned to Cid, "Since the Phantom Train was your doing, Cid, and it was connected to our world, is there anyway you can figure out a way for us to return home?"

Since the battle against Chaos, the group had hovered in place with no true plan figured out. Yu was with his parents and Ai had been with them until the news of another survivor or more. The blond hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, "Any programming that was put into Elizabeth after I made her that connected the train to the Outer World, I was not a part of. But I'm sure it's a piece of pie to do it regardless. There's a fragment of a world that's rampant with portals and the inhabitants who make the portals. They might be able to provide some clues on getting you home."

"How do we get there?"

"I don't know."

Lisa nearly fell over with a groan. That had been the last thing she expected Cid of all people to say. She threw him a slightly exasperated look as he chuckled and continued, "Ya see, this world is kind of tricky to get to. There are rabbit holes, portals laid about in whatever regions, or I have to measure out the calculations in order for us to change dimensions. We may not be in the Ocean Puzzle anymore, but that doesn't mean Wonderland is any easier to move around in. But at least challenges aren't being tossed at us that could doom everyone."

"Rabbit holes? What are those?" The woman inquired, head tilted curiously. Ai had departed back to her brother as the grown-ups spoke, not all that interested in what was said. The fruits of being young.

"They're considered symptoms of Chaos inevitably destroying the world. They were gaping holes that ended up opening in the sides of mountains or in the ground. Sometimes strange energies filtered from them and warped the surrounding environments. The closer Chaos came, the greater the holes opened up and they connected to other worlds suffering the same symptoms...It's just none of the inhabitants realized just what was going on until it was too late, they figured they were just geographical abnormalities. There are rabbit holes all over Wonderland, connecting the various worlds that have been connected since Chaos devoured them. They're just a pain in the rear to move through though, knew a guy who broke his neck falling through one..."

A spark of realization hit Lisa. That was how Kaze moved from plane to plane, always turning up where they had been. For the longest time she couldn't understand how he did it without riding the Phantom Train save for that one instance. In the world of sand, when Kaze had fallen from the sky with a thud, that had been a rabbit hole obviously. "Are they randomly connected?"

"Of course, it's not like they all have signs that say 'This hole goes...' and then a location. Though some people have gotten wise and made signs...you just have to be careful you don't end up anywhere dangerous. Or what crawls from the other side."

It felt like it would end up being another trek, like their search for Teros. But at the very least, they didn't have the Lords of Gaudium to harass them and feed Chaos with their turmoil. "I think Kaze may know something about these holes...I'll ask him later. What about any portals?"

"The portals are just as random as the holes, but not nearly as abundant or dangerous. I can put in a search for the closest and work on some calculations. Just leave it to me!" Cid's cheesy grin made her chuckle softly, the scientist making off to the bridge of the airship to resume control. Once alone, Lisa sighed tiredly to herself. They would be stuck in Wonderland for some time, it would prove best to make the best of their time.

_Or make the best of_ your _time_...She smiled quietly, thinking about what she would do. Most of her thoughts revolved around the brooding gun summoner...

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy : Unlimited or the characters in it. There may be a few OCs I haul off and throw in there, but not for a while.

Warnings : Yaoi which means male/male. Come on, what else do I write? Expect violence, mild child abuse/neglect, language, sexual situations, and anything else especially good. Not for the children. You don't like it, don't read.

Notes : Whoo...In any case, if I make typos, and I'm sure I do as they chase me like rabid terriers, let me know. But more specific than 'You made some typos'. Tell me where. So I can fix it. I hate typos, I don't want them to stay there. Thanks. O-o; I sat here listening to Barbie Girl in Japanese. XD

Land Of Confusion

Chapter 3 : Waking Dreams

by Reppa

_The air was warm and there was a buzz of chatter. He blinked rapidly, not sure where the collective voices began, a moment ago everything had been perfectly quiet. A fire burned in the fireplace, lamps glowed on tables...giving off a golden light. The windows were dark, it must have been in the evening. White specks floated down, it had to be winter time and lightly snowing outside. That or the trees had dander. There was the smell of liquor and fresh food. Baked bread, roasted meat. It had the atmosphere of a tavern. But he didn't remember being in a tavern before._

_His body moved of it's own accord, all Kaze could really do was follow whatever was going on. Everything had been a blurred black and gold haze at the beginning before coming into focus and letting him take in the detail. It was definitely a tavern, not exceptionally big from what he could tell. The woodwork of the building's structure had a flowing, whimsical design. Dark and light cherry wood, looking as if it had been shaped, not cut. Resting his hands on the long bar, the wood had a smooth, velvety feel. He blinked, glancing down at his hands. The bar more like it, but he could easily see his hands. His right was bare, where was the Magun? _

_On further inspection, his clothes were completely different as well. The black shirt he had on was a little big in the neck that it hung over his left shoulder. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, they were probably so long they could pass his fingers. The pants he wore seemed the same as always, but he had black boots over them, ending at his knees with a few buckles. The choker around his neck, the clasp around his thigh, and his silver earring were all still there. But his glasses were missing._

_Still staring at his hands, he looked away to glance over the room. Practically every table was full...most of the occupants were a wide assortment of moogles, the rest being what looked like oddball travelers. His partner was there, laughing up a storm with a bubbling brew in front of him, surrounded by what Kaze assumed were friends. His rosy face told the Black Wind the little guy was more than likely drunk. He tried to will himself over to the table, to demand what was going on, but it was hard to move out of place any further._

_"Hey, partner!" Moogle's cheery voice called, raising his half filled tankard, "How about another Windy Whiskey?"_

_Another what? Even if he didn't know, his body moved once more, pulling out a bottle from under the bar counter. It was a new bottle, completely full. The bottom of the bottle was fat and the neck snaked up in various curves, a purple, slightly foamy liquid swished inside the pink tinted glass. Removing the cork, it had a strong smell that didn't require him to sniff anywhere near the lip of the bottle. It reeked of berries and brew._

_The table packed with moogles, all different shapes and sizes, were more content to have the entire bottle left with them. That was fine, Kaze didn't care either way. The black robed moogle that tagged along with him looked up at the gun summoner, "Hey, partner, how's Snowball upstairs? Let me know when you get rid of him, okay? I want my room back."_

_Snowball? Who the hell was Snowball?_

_His brows furrowed before he drew himself away from the rambunctious moogles, icy blue eyes glancing over the rest of the room as he walked to the back. He ahead to the kitchen, which had no one working inside, and turned to his right where a flight of stairs to the next level waited around the corner. Kaze briskly jogged up the steps to the upper hall. He frowned, his hair feeling awfully loose as he moved. It must not have been pulled back into the long ponytail._

_The hallway on the second floor was dark. Some of the rooms, three of the total six, had there doors closed, little signs asking not to be disturbed hung from the handles. Patrons most likely. Two of the rooms showed no light from the creases, but the door he had his eyes on had a light filtering below from underneath. He felt his hand move up, flipping a little of his long hair back before he turned the knob to step in._

_The impulse to reach for his holster hit him quickly as he entered the closest room, but there was no holster to grab and even if there were, he doubted his body would let him do any such thing, let alone fire it. The anxiety continued to stir inside him, eyeing his...rival. _

_Shiroi Kumo sat at the foot of the bed, his figure slightly slouched, arms resting on his slightly parted knees. He looked tired and weary. His shirt, attached cape and all, was slung over the back of a chair, leaving him bare from the waist up. His white, booted pants looked a little scuffed up. Bright green eyes shifted to him as he noticed the other's entrance and the etude gave a weak smile, "If you're concerned, I'm fine...thank you."_

_He sounded like he'd been to hell and back, and he even looked the part. Kaze felt himself step forward, to come stand several feet away from the other man, "Go to sleep."_

_"I'm not tired..."_

_"Then lay down."_

_"You're rather bossy..." White Cloud just chuckled, actually looking somewhat cheerful. All the times Kaze could remember seeing the swordsman, his expression was...sometimes there was a complete lack of one, and others it looked very somber. But as always, there seemed a pained look in his eyes. "My thanks, but I don't want to stay bedridden. Besides...I should find a way to thank you, even if I don't believe I deserve the kindness."_

_Thank him? For what? While Kaze muddled over what was going on, his voice spoke up regardless, "It's not like I could have left you to freeze."_

_"Even if I'm not what you're used to seeing."_

_"I've seen stranger." A tavern usually did see some odd sorts from time to time. Despite their peculiar conversation, Kaze's eyes moved over the curve of the swordsman back, looking over his torso. He never figured Makenshi packed much muscle, as if Kaze was one to talk, the etude's body looking extremely lean. Where the slender man got the power he exerted behind the large two-handed sword he used, the gunner couldn't figure out. It had to be a racial proficiency above anything else, along with the mist breath and ability to levitate. "Are you hungry?"_

_His attention refocused as the other moved to stand on his feet. Kaze remained stiff, watching the etude sway for a moment. He almost figured he would fall to the floor any second. "I don't think you should..." The sentiment was cut short as he jerked forward, grabbing Makenshi's arm as the swordsman almost fell. Unfortunately, the swordsman had to lean at an awkward angle..._

-+-

_Have we even exchanged names yet?_

Kaze grunted, jerking his head up quickly. What the hell was that? He blinked several times, then his hand moved to rub between his eyes. There was a dull, sore pain in the back of his head, he hated it. Moving to sit up, he winced. It was never a good thing to just drift off into sleep and fall over in some awkward position. And no position could have been more awkward for the gunner then to partially lay on his side on top of the Magun.

Kneading his now sore abdomen, he wearily looked around the dismal room. It wasn't bright or full of good natured cheer. There wasn't a pleasant smell of fresh food or the sweet smell of liquid intoxication. There was no Moogle and there was no Makenshi. Though the room was cold, his body felt unusually warm, especially in his face. He even felt the fading giddiness that had come over him briefly, like something had excited him. The sensation made the heat in his cheeks rise. Whatever the cause...he shook his head quickly, striving to ignore it.

"..."

As he made to his feet, the long haired man took a moment to adjust himself. Kaze even felt to see if his hair was still bound together. Why he made to check himself, his hair and his attire, he had no idea. It was a dream, not real. He wasn't exactly sure what it was. The Black Wind made his way to the window, hand resting on the wall as he looked out. The sky was a brilliant blue and fluffy white clouds drifted by. It wasn't night with snow falling, the edges of the window were not frosted at all. That was a little disappointing. He continued to watch the clouds, judging from how slowly they drifted by, he reasoned the airship was in no hurry to get to any particular location. Where was there to go in Wonderland anyway?

Abruptly, he shook his head. He had been staring at the clouds. Doing such always made his thoughts linger on Makenshi. That was bad, he couldn't let himself do that anymore. Turning from the window, he faced the room. His eyes adjusted from the bright light of the sky to the gloom of the small space that had been behind him. "No sunny days ahead..." He paused and hummed, wondering where that came from. Depressing thoughts on the mind, they felt rather mainstream at this point.

Lisa and the Comodeen, and those children...Kaze was certain he wasn't much to them. Those depressing thoughts were the freshest on the list. He knew he wasn't anyone the organization was really concerned for. They would have no problem leaving him in the dust, he was probably too destructive for their taste, for their ideals. All the same, he didn't care for any ideals.

As for Lisa and the children, he reasoned he was a means to an end and a shield to them. It had...been a little irritating how they thanked him after he saved them before turning around and taunting him the next when he could do nothing. A broken Magun couldn't just fire at will like they expected it to, they had no reason to ridicule him. Especially that woman.

_Hello, you're alive in there, aren't you?_

Of course he was...it didn't mean he had to speak to anyone.

_Even though that girl wasn't human, she acted like one more than you, Kaze..._

Part of him wanted to wave a red flag in front of her. Maybe he was human, or maybe he wasn't. Being human had not been a universal standard last time he checked. He let out a long, drawn out sigh. Dwelling on those thoughts and more was not healthy. Plus he was experiencing one of his rare bouts of hunger. His train of thought needed to change tracks.

When he had been on the submarine with the group, he watched in distaste while they ate away at what he assumed was some mush. Whatever it was, it wasn't meat or fungi. That meant it was disgusting, he did not have the stomach for vegetables or whatever the mush had been. He grimaced, wondering how the pest level was on the current ship as he approached the door. Rats roasted up rather nicely, despite how stringy they were...

The automated door swung open and he paused, face to face with a startled Lisa. The woman jumped a little, looking shocked. Her face reddened considerably. She chuckled her jittered nerves into a calmer state as she relaxed, "Sorry about that...I was wanting to ask you about something."

Kaze stood there and stared at her, wondering why she couldn't wait till he found something reasonable to eat. "..."

"Can you tell me anything about the rabbit holes all over Wonderland? I'm sure they were how you got around, as we never saw you on the train..."

Those holes...His brows twitched with slight recognition, they had been his main form of transportation between each world. Sometimes the trips had proven somewhat painful, especially the one instance when he fell all the way from the skies. Despite how it looked, that sand had not provided the best cushioning. Then the wolf girl jumped on him..."I'm busy."

Lisa looked, once again, shocked. "You're _busy_? Busy doing _what_? You usually just sit around...This is important, Kaze, I'd really appreciate it if you just gave me a moment or two."

Irritation resurfaced. If she had an issue with him sitting around before, it wasn't on his head that she didn't say anything. But it wasn't in his nature to be sarcastic even though it seeped out once in a while, to snap at anyone, or be verbally abusive however minor or severe it could be. He was just quiet, but still... "I gave you a moment earlier."

She made a noise of indignation. He kind of wanted to laugh at the look on her face, a very cross frown, her bottom lip even in a slight pout. Lisa was, more or less, a pretty woman. She was not the most beautiful he'd seen, she was just pretty. His sister, Aura, now she had been a beautiful woman. She and Lisa were even a lot alike, but Kaze felt his sister had more spirit to her than the human woman. More poise, more strength. But she was dead...and the living woman in front of him didn't seem pleased his thoughts were wandering, "Kaze...! You know, it's really bad when you do that. Just what on Earth were you daydreaming about?"

"My sister..."

End of Chapter 3

- I know a lot of people are going 'EW!' at the rat thing, but...Personally, I can see Kaze as being a hunter/predator in nature. Like a cat. And for some reason I can see him eating weird things, like spiders and wolves. Call it a weird thing for me. I want to kind of give Windarians a sort of cultural background through this. Misterians too. I've seen quite a few Misterian culture bits people have thrown out, but I don't think I've really seen any sort of cultural ideas thrown behind Windarians, so...Yah!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer : I don't own Final Fantasy : Unlimited or the characters in it. There may be a few OCs I haul off and throw in there, but not for a while.

Warnings : Yaoi which means male/male. Come on, what else do I write? Expect violence, mild child abuse/neglect, language, sexual situations, and anything else especially good. Not for the children. You don't like it, don't read.

Notes : Been a while since I updated. Work has left me tired beyond all reason and I just haven't had he energy to do much else of anything.

Land Of Confusion

Chapter 4 : Rabbit Holes

by Reppa

The conversation between her and Kaze had ended on that strange last note. This was the first time she had heard of anything related to the man's past. The only bit she was somewhat aware of was Makenshi. But a sister? It had Lisa sitting and pondering for lengthy periods of time, even if she had no exact details. She had never thought, not really for an instant that the man had family on the mind. It was silly, no...it was stupid of her not to think so. Chaos had taken family away from Makenshi, why she hadn't considered whatever loss Kaze had suffered was beyond her. But maybe that was why he was so emotionally detached, so much like a rock.

Kaze didn't say another word after that, taking full advantage of her dumbfounded reaction and making a retreat around her to do what he had planned to do just before her reappearance. She sighed, since then, she hadn't caught sight of him and she was certain he had managed to figure out just how to lock the doors.

"Got one!"

Perking up, Lisa looked to see Cid high on his perch at the helm of Sylvia. "A portal?"

"Not as good, but it'll do. A last chunk of Teros that survived and a rabbit hole. I'm gonna land this lady in just a hot second, so get ready." The plan had been, while Cid sought out the right portal, if there was one, they would travel the rabbit hole system in order to find the world of portals. Marie and Joe agreed to let the twins join her, but only on the circumstance that Lisa could bring the man of the Magun with them, for protection against anything that could go wrong. Thankfully, she knew just how to get him to come.

As many of the Comodeen rallied about the ship to prepare for a landing and to possibly refresh their supplies, Lisa raced away from the command chamber to run down the hall towards the main sector of living spaces. It took her several minutes, Kaze just had to have one of the rooms that was located way in the back of the ship. Coming to the locked door, the woman took a deep breath and hoped he was still holed up inside, lightly tapping her knuckles on the thin metal, "Kaze?"

There was no response, making her sigh as she continued, "We need you to come with us. You seem to know the rabbit hole system to some degree and we could use your help."

Still there was no response. Either he was asleep or ignoring her. Or he wasn't even there, but she doubted that. When there was a spot Kaze had picked out and had secured as his, he usually returned to it, "If you come, there might be a good chance we may run into Makenshi somewhere out there in Wonderland!"

Though there was no verbal answer, she could hear what sounded like the rushed rustling of cloth. That had gotten his attention, Lisa was certain it would. And that agitated her, to a great degree. She sighed at that, stepping back as the door slid open rapidly and Kaze lazily meandered into the hallway. He eyed her, his expression empty, "White Cloud is alive, where is he?"

"I don't know, that's why you should come with us. If he's alive, we'll run into him without a doubt. Maybe sooner or later. Just...no fighting, all right? You two are friends...I think, so you don't need to be blowing everything up."

Kaze snorted at her, like he was going to use the last of his bullets on a fruitless fight. He had tried bothering the man who seemed to know his mechanics, wanting to know if he could have more bullets made, but Cid neither seemed interested nor concerned with such a task. The Black Wind assumed he had other, more important things to do than resupply his ammo. That or Cid just reasoned Kaze was not worht the time nor the effort. "Nn..."

Lisa sighed, grabbing his arm to drag him down the hall, "You're such a bother sometimes..."

-+-

When they had set foot back on the soil of Teros, there was little of the wooded area left that had escaped the damage done to the cube it once resided in. Pleasantly enough, they had met up with Mr. Bolbol who seemed as jovial as ever. His happy, bubbling nature however turned to regretful words and loud blubbering when they had imparted the unfortunate news of Lu's death. They did not speak a word concerning Clear, they weren't even certain on the boy's real fate.

"She was such a sweet girl..." He muttered, wiping away another tear as he snorted loudly.

Ai sighed, depressed as was Yu, not wanting to think about the friend they had lost. She was gone...what would dwelling on that unpleasant scene do to change that? They had a job to do, she looked up at Lisa with brows furrowed together slightly, "Lisa, we need to use that rabbit hole. Maybe Mr. Bolbol can show us where it is."

"Ah, a rabbit hole? Such a thing is dangerous to use, but if you need to, it's just ova there." The little girl tried not to giggle at his accent as she and her brother took off ahead of them in the direction the short man had pointed, Chobi squawking loudly as he too ran. Lisa followed after, exclaiming for them to wait and as Kaze slowly made his way past Bolbol, he felt a tug at his cloak. The Black Wind stopped, glancing down at the stocky man, "By the way, your tubby mouse-rat friend with the funny meatball on his head was here. Looking for you."

Kaze's brows rose, Moogle was near? That was actually some of the better news he had caught wind of in a long time. Muttering his thanks, he looked about the now sparse woods. He shifted, about to leave Lisa and the twins to themselves to look when he felt another tugging, this time at his arm. Lisa had a firm grip on his wrist and was pulling him towards where the children and the chocobo had run. "Come on, Kaze, we can't let them just take off ahead of us, it's too dangerous."

Maybe, he hoped really, that the moogle caught sight of the airship and got wise. Hopefully, the moogle would get to the Comodeen and then he wouldn't have to worry. His eyes looked ahead to see a gaping hole in the ground waiting for them. Ai and Yu were crouched at the edge, looking down and they looked fearful. Jumping into something like that didn't seem like such a good idea anymore...For a few moments, they all stood close to it. It was a couple yards in diameter. A slight fog billowed slowly and they could hear nothing but the ominous groan of the hole's depth. He blinked a few times, wondering what the problem was as he looked at the three of them. Rabbit holes weren't _that _ bad. "Well?"

"Um...!" Ai jumped, turning her head to give him a nervous look. She didn't want to jump, in fact, she wanted to go back to the ship now. "We can't jump in that...!" She shrieked, pointing at the darkness that sank into the ground as she huffed at him. It was frightening.

"Of course, we can."

Lisa sighed, rather agreeing with Ai. This was too dangerous. At first she had reasoned it was fine enough, but now? There was no telling what was on the other side, just as Cid had said. For all they knew, they could fall on or into something dangerous. It was a risk factor that made her skeptical. She tapped her chin in thought, wondering what would be the best course for them to take. She knew it did no good to have cold feet, but even with the Lords of Gaudium gone, the Inner World was still a dangerous place, "I don't think we should..."

As the older woman muttered to herself, the little red haired girl scoffed at Kaze, looking away with an obnoxious snort, arms crossed and stomping her little foot as if that was the end of the discussion. A pinch of dust and dirt sifted down the hole, "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I'm not." Without any warning, Kaze's free hand shot out and he gave her a surprising, rough shove against her back. The small girl let out a piercing scream as her arms flailed madly in the air, completely unbalanced by the force he pushed her with. But her flailing did not help and Yu and Lisa could not react fast enough to catch her before she tumbled face first down into the darkness. Her cry could still be heard as she fell, growing more distant before strangely...all was quiet with an abrupt silence.

"Sis!" Yu got no answer in return, staring down in the hole with disbelief and worry, "Sis, are you okay!"

"Are you crazy!" Lisa snapped, turning on Kaze with her hands clenched and pounding a fist on his shoulder. As if that was some form of punishment. She was livid, why did he do that? Why! The man just lacked absolute common sense! But he just stared at her, his expression blank as he regarded her before he slowly raised his hand again. Her eyes widened briefly, knowing what he was thinking and what he intended to do. But he wouldn't...would he? "Don't you da-"

He dared, giving her an equally bold push against her shoulder which sent her backwards. Yu just stood there, blinking as he watched Lisa take her turn down the rabbit hole, and just like Ai before her, all of her screaming and cursing went suddenly quiet once she had fallen out of sight. The young boy looked up at his idol with a weak chuckle, finding it kind of amusing but he froze. Kaze was staring at him now. Yu gulped, deciding to be a man instead of having to be pushed in so he took a tentative step back. He cast Kaze a quick glance, surely if he thought it was fine...Nervously, he looked back down before closing his eyes and jumping.

Falling wasn't some new sensation for him, the air whipping around him as he fell. It wasn't so bad. But then a sudden, strange feeling came over him. It was when the feeling came over him that was probably when they stopped hearing the girls' cries. Briefly, he had felt like something had stretched him out and press him in, like dough...Then he just felt like he was still falling again until light surrounded him and he made contact with something solid. Yu landed with a loud grunt on top of Ai and Lisa who had started to push themselves up. They both in turn cried out in surprise.

"When I see Mister I'm gonna beat him silly with Pochepocket till he turns blue!" Ai wailed miserably.

"Not if I don't Kigen him across the Inner World..." It was Lisa's turn, she groaned softly. She could not believe Kaze had the audacity to be throwing them into strange holes when they didn't know where they led. Craning her head, she frowned at the twins in concern, "Are you two all right?"

Ai just groaned in response as Yu chuckled a little, rubbing his head as he sat up, "That was weird...Huh?" He didn't seem too phased by what just happened.

The three of them looked up when they heard distant squawking coming nearer. The noise was being bugled out through the rabbit hole they had fallen through, which was imbedded in the side of a cliff face. It was wider and much more eerie than the one on the other side. Chobi...Scrambling up, they got out of the way just as both Kaze and Chobi barreled out of the hole themselves. The Black Wind landed on his back, grunting at the impact. The chocobo unfortunately landed on his chest, knocking the air out of him just a little. With an irritated noise, Kaze shoved the flustered avian off of him before starting to get his bearings again. That was until Pochepocket slapped him dead-on in the face.

"You butt-head! Why did you push me! You. _Never_ . Push. A. _Lady_ !" With every word, Ai swung the sputtering purse at the man who at the very least kept his face shielded as she worked her temper tantrum away. When the blows eventually subsided, Kaze reopened one eye to see Ai had winded herself out, huffing and puffing. It seemed she was trying to get her second wind, maybe go in for another childishly brutal assault. The Black Wind took opportunity to get to his feet and distance himself from Ai.

Lisa growled angrily, pointing at finger at him, "Kaze! Don't ever, _ever _ do that again! Do you understand? At least have _some _ concern for other people's safety!" She scolded him fiercely, folding her arms as she continued to glare at him. Her expression however, went somber very quickly as she looked past him.

There they went again. Demeaning him, mocking, taunting...Kaze really didn't want to put up with any of it if he could, blocking her words out as he returned her glare. Then the look on her face changed, quickly. That was unsettling, just what was it? Wondering what she was looking at, the gun summoner turned. Then he froze, as rigid as a statue and his hand twitched feverishly.

Standing just three feet from Black Wind was White Cloud. Suddenly, Black Wind wasn't feeling so anxious to see White Cloud...as everything went red before his eyes.

End of chapter 4


End file.
